5 Drinks To Try Malt Powder In (Besides Milkshakes)

Malted milk powder was first made in 1869 with evaporated whole milk powder, barley, and wheat flour. The invention went through a series of repurposes — first as a health supplement, then as war-time rations, and finally stirred into milk shakes. Yet milkshakes aren't the only way you can use this toasty ingredient. Let's first quickly review malt products so you know what to buy at the store.

Malt products are derived from sprouted, dried, and ground barley. Bakers may reach for either non-diastatic or diastatic malt powder to use as flavor enhancers. Non-diastatic malt powder is pure barley malt extract, a syrup that can lend caramel tint to foods in addition to flavor, whereas diastatic malt powder includes dextrose and wheat flour. Colored malts add color and flavor to beer and are made by roasting grains to caramelize sugars. 

Malted milk powder is milk powder mixed with barley malt, wheat flour, and sometimes sugar and salt. This yields a toasted, malted taste, and malt powders flavored with chocolate and vanilla can add extra sweetness to recipes, like turning milkshakes into malts. Ovaltine is another powder that can make a chocolate beverage, but it has additional ingredients. Before we get to stirring and shaking drinks made with malt powder, keep in mind that barley contains gluten, so malt products aren't suitable for guests with certain dietary restrictions.

Using malted milk powder to upgrade your hot chocolate couldn't be easier. Whether paired with chocolate or peanut butter, the roasted, caramel notes of malt flavor can highlight the sweetness of the other ingredients in the recipe, like chocolate stirred into warm milk. Take a recipe such as our ultimate hot chocolate recipe and begin by adding two tablespoons of the powder to the combination of milk, milk alternative, cream and chocolate you usually mix together. If you like the result or want to dial up the malt flavor, you can include an additional tablespoon. Your drink will offer more substance and sweetness, providing an extra wow factor to an already comforting mug of a classic favorite.

For an added boost of malty flavor, you can whip malted milk powder directly into the homemade honey whipped cream you use to top your mugs of hot chocolate, then finish your creation with a dusting of malted milk powder, cinnamon, and powdered cocoa. 

Shake up homemade coffee drinks with malted milk. The inclusion of malt powder to a foamy dalgona coffee recipe turns a fluffy treat into an even more decadent one. Plus, making this recipe at home puts the levels of sweetness into your own hands, as you can adjust the amount of malt powder and chocolate added to your coffee and add garnishes of chocolate syrup or drizzles of Nutella. 

Simply reach for instant coffee, water, and sugar, and get to whipping as you did when you first learned about the viral recipe. Once the mixture has plumped up in texture, you can mix milk or your choice of milk alternative with two or three tablespoons of malted powder. Lovers of the stuff may even decide to add an extra spoonful. To turn your recipe into a chocolate-forward drink, you can also stir in chocolate syrup to this mix before you pour your whipped dalgona mixture into a glass. Alternatively, line your mug with your choice of caramel or chocolate syrup for an added sweet note. 

As you shake up chocolate martinis, consider including three tablespoons of chocolate malt powder to the recipe. The inclusion will add both body and a toasty flavor to your drink, offering just enough interest to leave guests wondering about your bartending secrets. In addition to mixing up the malt powder with vodka, creme de cacao, and cream, you can use malt powder to garnish the rims of martini glasses. Another creative way to garnish your malty, chocolate martini is to smash up Maltesers or Whoppers — whichever candy you can find — and use the ground up pieces as a garnish. A quick application of simple syrup or salted caramel can help the pieces stick to the rims of the glasses.

Plan ahead for any hosting party frenzy by garnishing martini glasses in advance. You can place the coated glasses in the fridge so that when your friends arrive, you simply have to shake up the malted milk powder with booze and cream and serve. 

Add malt powder to a classic White Russian cocktail, and the toasty inclusion may have you writing love letters of your own to the creamy cocktail. This easy sipper blurs the line between beverage and dessert and will have your friends scrambling for seconds.

The great thing about pouring malty White Russians is that you can make a large batch at once using a blender, so you can fill — and refill — many glasses at once and get to serving, sipping, and toasting. For a starting ratio, measure out one quarter cup each of malt and milk powders to add to one quarter cup half-and-half cream. You'll blend these ingredients along with a tablespoon of sour cream to add a tangy layer and two tablespoons of sugar before dumping in two or three tablespoons of Kahlúa for the first boozy dimension. 

Once these ingredients have mixed together, scoop in six to eight scoops of vanilla ice cream to your cocktails until combined. As a final flourish, stir one quarter cup of vodka as a finishing touch. Pour this creamy mixture into glasses and crown your decadent delights with whipped cream for added festive flair. Just consider yourself warned: It might be difficult to stop sipping these drinks once poured.

Whether you enjoy a frappé or frappuccino, a few spoonfuls of malt powder can take your recipe to the next level. As you dump spoonfuls of malted milk powder into your blender, keep in mind that the inclusion adds sweetness to your recipes, so you may want to adjust the other sweeteners accordingly. Taste as you go, and start conservatively so you don't have to work to balance out a too-sweet drink due to an overzealous inclusion.

Experiment with using both chocolate and vanilla malt powder in your frappé recipes. You may find that you enjoy the sweetness of the vanilla or the added layer of depth provided by chocolate malt powder. If you like the effect, try dumping one teaspoon of vanilla malt powder into our copycat Starbucks strawberry Merry Cream Frappuccino, or start your weekend off right by building a boozy frappé with Kahlúa, coffee liqueur, Frangelico hazelnut liqueur, and crème de cacao. Tucking malt powder into any of these kinds of drinks will have you feeling like you're sipping dessert for breakfast, and we certainly are here for it.